Documentos de Académico
Documentos de Profesional
Documentos de Cultura
Helena Rybak-Chmielewska
CONTENTS
6.1 Introduction
6.2 Physical Properties of Honey
6.3 Chemical Composition of Bee Honey
6.3.1 Saccharides
6.3.2 Nonsaccharide Honey Components
6.3.2.1 Proteins and Amino Acids
6.3.2.2 Organic Acids
6.3.2.3 Mineral Substances
6.3.2.4 Dyes and Other Components
6.4 Honey Adulteration and Possibilities of Detection
References
6.1 INTRODUCTION
Honey is a natural sweet substance produced by honey bees from the nectar of plants
(blossom honey), secretions of living parts of plants, or excretions of plant-sucking
insects (Hemiptera) (honeydew honey). Bees collect honey, transform it by combin-
ing it with their specific substances, deposit, dehydrate, store, and leave in the honey
comb to ripen and mature.
Honey consists essentially of various sugars, predominantly D-fructose and D-
glucose, as well as other compounds and substances such as organic acids, enzymes,
and solid particles collected by bees. The appearance of honey varies from nearly
colorless to dark brown. It may be fluid, viscous, or solid. Its flavor and aroma vary
depending on the plant origin. Honey varieties can be identified by their color, taste,
flavor, and manner of crystallization. Under exceptional circumstances, the honey
sediment is analyzed for the content of pollen grains. Alternatively, in honeydew
honey varieties, other components characteristic of them, such as algae, spores,
mycelium fragments, or leaf fragments, are determined. Other characteristics helpful
in identifying the honey type include specific conductivity, variety-specific flavor
compounds, and saccharide makeup.
D-Glucose and D-fructose can originate from the nectar or honeydew and from
the enzymatic hydrolysis of sucrose and other sugars residing in the honey. Raffinose
and mellecitose originate from the nectar or from honeydew. Other di- and trisac-
charides result from the action of honey enzymes. Honey also contains certain
amounts of dextrin (3 to 10%). Honey dextrins have a lower molecular weight than
those designed from starch. They are not blue-stained with iodine and do not
precipitate on an admixture of alcohol. They form glutinous colloidal solutions and
are strongly dextrorotatory. They are more abundant in honeydew than in nectar
honeys.
REFERENCES
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43, 209, 1999.
2. Maurizio, A., Das Zuckerbild Blütenreiner Sortenhonige, Ann. Abeille, 7, 289, 1964.
3. Bosi, G., and Battaglini, M., Gas-chromatographic analysis of free and protein amino
acids in some unifloral honeys, J. Apic. Res., 17, 152, 1978.
4. Takenaka, T., An α-glucosidase from honey, Honeybee Sci., 1, 13, 1980.
5. White, J. W., Jr., Hydroxymethylfurfural content of honey as an indicator of its
adulteration with invert sugars, Bee World, 61, 29, 1980.
6. Rybak, H., and Achremowicz, B., Changes in chemical composition of natural and
adulterated with inverted by bees sucrose honeys, during storage (in Polish), Pszczeln.
Zesz. Nauk., 30, 19, 1986.
7. Simpson, J., Maxley, E., and Greenwood, S. P., Can honey from sugar-fed bees be
distinguished from natural honey by its flavour? Bee World, 55, 10, 1975.
8. White, J. W., Jr., Subers, M. H., and Schepartz, A. J., The identification of inhibine,
the antibacterial factor in honey, as hydrogen peroxide and its origin in a honey
glucose-oxidase system, Biochem. Biophys. Acta, 73, 57, 1963.
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secretion, J. Apic. Res., 14, 57, 1975.
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Commun., L 10, 47, 2002.
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standard for honey. Alinorm 01/25, Appendix II, pp. 22-24.
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